25-07-2003 : Poland

It is often said that what makes fantastic journeys is the people you meet and not the places you visit - we have already met some truly wonderful people and our first night in Poland was not going to be the exception…Deciding to ride through Lithuania we had crossed the borders without any problems, just the usual queues. We were heading in the general direction of Warsaw but lulled by the past few days' relaxation we had set off without any real plan or idea, or for that matter even currency. The night was drawing in and 600km had just clicked up on the trip meter. We'd had a good days riding but were now tired and needed to stop. Unbeknown to us we were in an area known as Missouri - the Polish lake district. Finally we pulled in to an unmarked site and after hauling ourselves off the bikes were enthusiastically welcomed by Monica and Vycheck (the site manager and his girlfriend who was there on holiday). It was late by the time we'd pitched the tent, which had been a slow affair due to all the children that gathered around, excited by the bikes and bemused by the two funny-looking riders who by this time were also looking the worse for wear. Monica appeared some time later and in polite but perfect English asked "We are having some food, we would like to invite you to dinner". 20 mins later, with introductions sorted we were sat round a table at the entrance to the site eating BBQ'd food, fresh salad and sipping on cold beer laughing and joking like old friends. It wasn't long before Vodka was mentioned, "have you tried Polish vodka?" asked Vycheck - of course I hadn't but knew I was going to. Lisa also mentioned her love of Krupnik, a Polish honey-based vodka that she had been unable to buy in Europe for the past 12 years. With that Monica was up and away in a flash bringing back to the table a bottle of the very same! Needless to say a fantastic and memorable evening was had which ended up including two bottles of vodka, half a bottle of locally brewed 'something' which was incredibly strong and an entire bottle of Krupnik. Yet again we'd both been floored and delighted in the spontaneous and genuine hospitality we'd been shown by relative strangers, however, our experience was proving a well-known expression true - 'there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet':

26-07-2003
With surprisingly no hangover we packed the tent away distracted again by the many children who now wanted their photo taken whilst sitting on the bikes. I should add not only children, much to my (Lisa's) amusement there were also three ladies who wanted their picture taken with Simon whilst they were sitting as pillion on the back of his bike! With many 'coy' smiles and fluttering eyelashes all the ladies had their picture taken whilst holding tight onto Simon - why they needed to hold on was beyond me as they were not moving - but they seemed to enjoy it nonetheless! We were tempted to stay another night as we were reluctant to leave newfound friends but Warsaw was calling. Midday had come and gone before we set off and after a few photos we were on the road: we were heading for Warsaw. The road was very bad, but not with holes but deep ruts where huge lorries had dug deep groves with their tyres. Crossing these was a problem as sometimes the tar had been pushed up so high it was like crossing a high kerb when overtaking….not nice at all! It was another very hot and humid day and we had bursts of torrential rain with thunder and fork lightening…which Lisa loves! The rain also made the roads very slippy and greasy adding to the pleasure of riding today. We thought we'd reach Warsaw with time to spare but due to the weather and condition of the roads the trip took a little longer than we had hoped and so on the northerly outskirts of the city we decided to stop when we saw camping on what looked like a beach. (GPS -N 52° 26, E 21° 00). With no facilities but a beer tent and one toilet for the whole beach (or so it seemed) we gratefully put up the tent after wading through fairly deep sand with the bikes. Note to self: need much more practice on sand before the Sahara!
27-07-2003
Making a move at a reasonable time for once, we managed to reach Warsaw around 10:30. However, we were unable to find anywhere to stop with the bikes where we could safely leave them but still keep in eye contact! All we wanted was a coffee and by the time we found a decent place to stop (by going up a one way street into a pedestrian zone) we were hot, tired and a little pissed off! However, the Café made up for it as it was serving what looked like fantastic chunks of cream cake. In the relaxed atmosphere of the cafe, it wasn’t long before we’d had struck up a conversation with the lady to our right who’d we’d seen earlier tucking into the glorious cake (bannoffee cream, Mmmmmm…) Jessica was an American working for a few months in Warsaw as part of her University studies, International affairs (hope we’ve got this right Jessica!). She had previously been in Bolivia. As cake and good coffee were enjoyed, the conversation easily saw the hour mark. Lisa’s love of classical music was thrown in to the conversational mix and to our delight Jessica had quickly suggested we join her and a friend in ….park where there was a free Chopin concert. Of course it was music to Lisa’s ears! (Literally) Chopin being played in the park where he used to walk when he lived in Warsaw - wonderful. However, prior to our date with culture we were more than a little aware that we were both a little smelly not to mention dirty (remember the camp site had not had any facilities the previous night!) Jessica, without hesitation offered us the use of her flat and bathroom and so with the bill paid we were off to get cleaned up. Trustingly Jessica had given us free reign of the apartment. Whilst we showered and changed she went out giving us some privacy. Yet again, we both felt very humbled and honoured to be in the company of such genuine trust and hospitality. A short bus ride later and with Jessica acting as tour guide we arrived at the park and it wasn’t long before we’d found Juan Diego (Jessica’s friend) The park was packed but luck was still with us as we found a bench for four. As the concert progressed Lisa was in her element. The music and setting were perfect. The pianist elegantly positioned under a small marquee, which itself was dwarfed by the huge statue of Chopin sitting under the willow. Rose bushes everywhere and within this sea of red the afternoon passed all to quickly. With the concert over and with our new friends we headed to ‘Old Town’, a district in Warsaw packed with restaurants and bars, now heavily used by tourists it still proved a picturesque setting for dinner. The evening called for some traditional Polish food and sat outside, we enjoyed our meal whilst discussing our trip and getting to know Diego. Diego was Columbian and had arrived in Warsaw some 18 years earlier to study. He liked it so stayed. Now Diego is also one of those clever people who all too easily slips from language to language effortlessly, so talking to us in English one minute, would see him switch to Spanish the next when talking to Jessica. A few minutes later he was talking fluent Polish when chatting with the waiter. Polish is a very difficult language to pick up and apart from some difficult pronunciation it also has seven separate tenses. Diego had mentioned he had taken an intensive language course when he had first arrived. The intensive course was 8 months! We were going to have to be satisfied with learning the basics, hello, goodbye, please, thank you and of course 2 beers please. As the evening drew in we suddenly realized that we had not found a campsite let alone put up the tent. Again we needn’t have worried. Diego casually mentioned, “why are you camping? I have a spare room I never use, stay with me”. We graciously accepted and joked about how often he picked up odd-looking tourists in Warsaw and took them home.
28-07-2003
The day was already hot as morning broke. After a quick shower we found Diego in the kitchen sorting out Breakfast. Bread rolls, cereal and Orange juice. We thanked him profusely and tucked in. Diego left for work as we headed off into Warsaw on the bus. The stop was practically in front of his apartment and dropped us off in the heart of the city. Being the heathen that I am (Simon), and with the day getting hotter and hotter I dragged Lisa to the Cinema. It was 10:20 and we had a date with a large green man with a temper. The HULK in Warsaw, bizarre. The movie house was in itself amazing and was an old soviet ministry building now converted. The cool air-conditioned building was a luxury after weeks of scorching weather. Back outside and with Bruce Banner now condemned to a life of continuously ripping his wardrobe to shreds, we headed off to see more of the city. Our next stop was slightly more bizarre than our first as Lisa quickly dived into a large shop frontage on one of Warsaw’s largest and busiest streets. We quickly found the interior strangely familiar…Marks & Spencer’s had arrived in Warsaw. With a huge variety of tea’s being offered in the newly finished bar, this place was trying hard and succeeding in being more English than any shop or tearoom at home. After our brief encounter with culture yesterday we thought we’d continue in the same vain and enjoyed Warsaw’s finest Earl grey and of course the air-conditioning. Warsaw is an amazing city. Almost completely obliterated by German bombing during the War it was almost immediately rebuilt by the Russian following victory. ‘Old Town’ and ‘New Town’ are in fact both relatively new, although the architecture would suggest otherwise. When rebuilding commenced, old plans of the city were reused to reconstruct the city as closely as possible to the original. The place is now like many other large cities and yet still manages to retain a relaxed atmosphere, which sits quite comfortably alongside its rich and sometimes sad history. Ultimately Warsaw’s very existence is testament to its peoples will to overcome tremendous odds and hardship.We returned once again to ‘Old Town’ for dinner meeting Jessica and Diego once more. The prices are ludicrously cheap and the food exceptionally tasty. Starters, main courses, drinks and dessert for 3 came to £16. The evening finished late and we said our goodbyes to Jessica as we headed back to Diego’s.
29-07-2003
With the bikes easily packed we said our farewells to Diego again trying to convey our true appreciation. We were on the road again and were heading to Krakow down the E67. After finding ‘Camping Korona’ and quickly deciding that the attitude of the management was worth paying £8 a night for. A little while later we soon arrived at ‘Camping 171’. Close to the heart of the city and with a huge hypermarket a short walk away.
30-07-2003
The dark skies and cool weather, which accompanied the morning, were a relief. With the tent cool, we laid in until 10am. Our first port of call was the Hypermarket for a cheap toasty and a strong cup of coffee at one of the many bars. By 11:30 we had caught the tram. A short 20 min ride and we were soon in the centre of this beautiful City. If any of you reading this fancy a bit of camping in Poland and can fit in Krakow, then camping 171 (the name of our site) is pretty good (GPS -N50°00, E19°55). The site is 2.5 miles from the centre and the site is 500 yards from the tram stop. We bought 4 one-fare tickets (two to get in and two for the return) and paid the grand sum of 8.80 Slozts (just over a quid) bargain. If you don’t have your own transport don’t worry the city is well catered for with public transport in the form of trams, busses and trains, all of which seem to be reliable, cheap and on time. Walking down Grodzka Street, we arrived at the main market place (Rynek). Krakow is a beautiful City with churches and old town houses lining the medieval streets and there are so many things to see – we spent all day just wandering. Unfortunately we didn’t go inside many of the buildings as most of them charged but after a lot of walking and taking in as much of the cities atmosphere as possible we finished our visit with a walk through ‘the dragons lair’. This is a deep cave that lies underneath the magnificent Wawel Cathedral and brings you out on the bank of the Vistula river. After managing to stagger back to the campsite, as all this walking in hot sun is knackering, we decided that it was easier to go to one of the many cafes in the supermarket area rather than bother to cook! This worked out as much cheaper than buying and cooking – only £5 for the both of us – no washing up either!
31-07-2003
Today was an unforgettable day. Today was the day we had decided to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau.Our trip from its inception is about trying to understand the World we live in. The atrocities that happened here, Lisa and I will never understand but visiting will ensure wet never forgot. As we drove to Oswiecim both of us were a little apprehensive – this is not the type of day you say you look forward to – but in our minds it was a must! We had no idea really as to what to expect, OK, we had seen the films and Schindlers List – but was this anything like it? The first surprise was that it was not clear as to where exactly Auschwitz was. There were no obvious signposts and from the centre of Oswiecim we had to head North out of the town. We only knew this as an English couple had visited the day before and given details as to exactly where it was placed. Again, it was strange when we turned up – suddenly there it was – AUSCHWITZ – a name now synonymous with death. For most of us Auschwitz is a place ingrained on our minds since childhood linked through all those history lessons with horrific injustice, barbarism and death. It felt a little unnerving to be here. Initially you enter the car park – new, clean fresh tarmac greets you. A little further on we found the normal tourist facilities with a typically modern tourist information area and food hall where you can choose from pizza, burgers etc. We both noted that everything from the info signs to the decor were muted. Its difficult to explain but both of us felt awkward and almost embarrassed that there was such food readily available – Many people had travelled a long way to get here and when we arrived we also needed something to eat. However, despite ordering a small pizza we didn’t feel comfortable enjoying our food so close to where thousands had starved to death – maybe this was just us being too sensitive as the whole town of Oswiecim is now just a normal working town with the atrocities of 60 years ago just history and not memories for many of its residents. We booked for an English tour guide and joined a group of about 20 English-speaking people –Entering the gates to the camp (known not as a concentration camp but a death camp) a cold shiver made its way down our backs. How many thousands had walked through these very gates only to meet their end, hours, days or weeks later. What struck us both was how new all the buildings looked – this more than anything hammered home that the his is not ancient history but very recent. The idea that all that happened here was long, long ago makes us all feel a little better and perhaps allows us to mentally deal with the facts at arms length as though it doesn’t effect us. The ‘up close’ experience of actually being here and the realisation of how recently the events took place really packs a powerful blow. We can’t explain what we felt as we walked around being shown the “Death Wall”, the collective gallows, block 10 where many women were ‘experimented’ upon, the gas chambers and crematoria where we also saw photos of people entering the gas chambers. They all look so composed. They had been told that this was a shower area – of course no water came, just the poison Cyclon B. As the tour continued the mood and atmosphere of the group became more solemn, with expressions of disbelief increasing, as we were shown more. All others that we saw were silent and strained, the only way we can explain it is that a heavy sadness sits in your chest. There is a feeling of disbelief that things like this can happen and the question ‘Why- how could these things happen?’ keeps coming into your mind. As you are told ‘why’ your history lessons are remembered with painful accuracy and the full beliefs of the Nazis is explained to you, but this is very different from sitting in a sterile classroom with a book and some black and white footage in front of you. On liberation of the camp we were told that the Soviet Army discovered approx. 7,000 kg of hair, which were the remains of women. The hair was packed into large bags and was being prepared to be sent to the cities were it was used for producing tailors lining cloth. A large room with Perspex sides now displays some of the hair. The room is completely full from floor to ceiling. It’s a very uncomfortable site and one we wont forget. We saw rooms of personal items; glasses, suitcases, enamel bowls, hairbrushes, shoes – thousands upon thousands of them – all at one time belonging to people who thought that they were being sent to a ‘place of work’. However, despite the atrocities we were both struck with the fact that Auschwitz now feels very peaceful – we had expected to feel some kind of bad ‘vibes’ but were surprised that this was not the case – maybe others may not feel the same and may not understand why we felt this way. After a short visit to Birkenau (KL Auschwitz 2, 3km away), which was a purpose built death camp our tour ended. We were left physically and emotionally drained. The one main thought that did come from our visit was summed up in a quote we saw on one of the walls “Those who do not remember history are destined to live through it again”. A chilling thought.
 
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warsaw old town
missouri
jessica juan diego and us
krakow
krakow
 
auschwitz